Nearly 500 years ago, a miracle happened. Actually, several miracles.
On December 12, 1531, the Virgin Mary appeared to Juan Diego on while he was walking on Tepeyac Hill, in northern Mexico.
This is not miraculous, as many Catholics, which we will assume Juan was, pray to the Virgin, Mary, Mother of God, sometimes constantly.
Saying "Hail Mary" (an important Catholic prayer) repeatedly is common, especially to atone for one's sins.
And we may assume that those with active imaginations could easily "see" the Virgin.
"Hail Mary, Mother of Grace.
Pray for us sinners,
Now and at the hour of our death.
Amen"
The miracle was that she spoke to Juan.
Or maybe his imagination was working very hard that day.
She told him to tell the local bishop to build a church on that hill.
Really?
We can imagine that this request to the authorities — the bishop — was met with skepticism and reluctance.
So, like any woman worth her salt, Mary repeated herself.
Yes, indeed. The Virgin Mary appeared to Juan Diego again.
That day?
The next day?
This time, she instructed him to gather a bouquet for her.
We ladies do love flowers.
Yo, it's December.
But Mexico.
Or maybe it was part of the miracle.
Anyhow, sure enough, the hill was covered in flowers — roses — right then, in December.
So Juan collected a bouquet of roses for Mary.
And took them to the bishop.
In his coat.
Most stories claim Juan was wearing an overcoat.
Hmmmm
Not.
He was wearing a tilma.
A tilma = "cape made of agave popotule fiber from the ixtle plant."
Anyhow, the bishop was not impressed with the flowers.
The roses Juan had gathered into his overcoat, his tilma.
But when the bishop saw the interior of the fabric, he was convinced.
Why?
He saw the Virgin Mary's image imprinted on Juan's tilma.
And it's still there.
Not destroyed by a bomb that detonated at its foot.
Nope.
Not destroyed by the acid spilled on one side.
Oops.
Nope.
Not explained by science.
Nope.
Not duplicated.
Someone tried that.
The duplicate image faded quickly.
The one on Juan's tilma is still visible after 494 years.
Miraculous now.
Miraculous then.
The bishop knew a miracle when he saw it.
The bishop ordered a church to be built on that hill in Guadalupe.
The first church dedicated to the Virgin of Guadalupe.
The Virgin of Guadalupe.
She who is clothed in the sun.
Surrounded by a sunburst.
Guarded by the rays of the sun.
The Virgin of Guadalupe.
The Virgin of Guadalupe.
She who is the color of the earth.
She who is mestiza.
She who is all of us, indigenous, immigrant, colonizer.
The Virgin of Guadalupe.
The Virgin of Guadalupe.
She who wears a turquoise-colored mantle.
Mary. Mare. Mer.
Turquoise, the color of peaceful water.
An ocean of love protects her, emanates from her.
The Virgin of Guadalupe. The Virgin of Guadalupe.
She who is the totem saint of Mexico.
And Guatemala, El Salvador, and even into California.
The Virgin of Guadalupe.
The Virgin of Guadalupe.
She who prays for us.
She who always loves us.
Our mother.
Mama.
The Virgin of Guadalupe.
The Virgin of Guadalupe.
She who protects the immigrants.
She who cherishes every child, from conception to old age.
The Virgin of Guadalupe.
The Virgin of Guadalupe.
Empress of the Americas.
Queen of Mexico.
Dark Goddess.
Corn Mother.
Motherline Medicine.
Today is her day.
I celebrate this goddess.
I rejoice in her power to cause roses to bloom in December.
May her love embrace me.
Holy Mary
Mother of God
Pray for us
Now
And at the hour of our death
Amen.
It is in beauty.
It is a giveaway dance with the plants.
It is a heart beating with the earth's heartbeat.
It is surrounded with green blessings.
It is in joy.
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